Community Mass Meeting on Wake County’s New Student Assignment Policy – Join Us!

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Wake County Public Schools

Wake assignment plan worries charter school parents – News & Observer

Charter schools are supposed to provide additional public school options for families, but they could become less attractive under Wake County’s new student assignment plan.

Charter school supporters say the new plan unfairly puts charter school students further back in the line if they choose to return to a traditional public school, a choice many make when it comes time to attend high school. Charter school parents and students say that the new plan could discourage some families from applying to charter schools in lower grades if they think it will make it harder for them to later attend schools in the district. (More)

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Wake County Public Schools

Student assignment plan will move forward on schedule – WRAL

Cary, N.C. — Despite lingering concerns, the Wake County student assignment plan will move forward on schedule without any changes.

Board of Education members spent several hours at a work session Tuesday talking with school system staff about a number of concerns brought up last week about the new choice-model plan. (More)

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Wake County Public Schools

NC NAACP Endorses Delaying Changes to Wake County Student Assignment Policy

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NAACP Endorses Delaying Change to Student Assignment Plan While Numerous Unanswered Questions Linger  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 10, 2012 For More Information:       Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137                                            Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700                                           Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700 Open Letter to Wake County Board of Education  and Superintendent Anthony Tata The North Carolina NAACP supports Great Schools in Wake Coalition (GSIW) in calling for a delay in the implementation of the new Wake County student assignment plan. The January 3, 2012 work session of the school board made it clear that there remains a long list of unanswered questions regarding the new assignment plan. We believe it is in the best interest of all children of Wake County to delay implementation of the plan until the questions are answered in order to ensure that Wake County adopts the best student assignment plan possible. NAACP leaders met with Superintendent Tata and his staff last July. During that meeting we posed many questions to the Superintendent and to date have not had a response from him or his team regarding their answers. GSIW posed additional questions that are also still unanswered. Questions and concerns we posed last summer include: 1. The percentage goals of low-performing, poor and minority students in each school have not been clarified. Any effort to avoid high-poverty, racially-identifiable or low-performing schools requires this data. 2. The numbers of seats available for families who choose to send their students to magnet and so-called "achievement choice" schools is not clear. 3. No plans have been announced to address the issue of access to "achievement choice" schools for families without the necessary resources to wade through the online process to make informed choices for their children’s school assignment. Without the necessary assistance, these families will not have equal opportunities to benefit from any student assignment plan. 4. There is still no urban school district operating a so-called "choice" plan that has maintained greater success than the pioneering socioeconomic diversity plan that made Wake County a national model for student achievement. While there was room to improve the socioeconomic diversity plan, especially in adhering to its goals of no high-poverty schools, the strengths of that plan should not simply be pushed aside. 5. There is still no data to show how the current recommended plan would decrease or increase the number of high-poverty, racially-identifiable or low performance schools in Wake County. 6. There is still no analysis that shows that the partial plans presented thus far are empirically better than the socio-economic diversity assignment plan. 7. The high-poverty schools that came to be under the old plan were not a result of the plan itself but rather a result of unprecedented growth in numbers of students in Wake County and flagging determination to meet the standards of the plan. No plan is stronger than our will to measure up to its goals. 8. Considering that the leadership of the previous board, which adopted this plan, was committed to a pure so-called "neighborhood schools" approach, we need to make sure that any plan Wake County adopts will balance the factors of diversity, stability and student performance. Even Michael Alves, who advised the Superintendent and his team, indicated that these factors need to be embraced to ensure the success of the plan. We continue to support a research-based approach to student assignment.  Research continues to show that socio-economic diversity and adequate resources foster student achievement and that high-poverty, racially-identifiable schools present strong obstacles to student achievement. There is hardly any argument among scholars as to whether or not diversity and resources are two critical elements for student achievement in public schools.  Across the country, re-segregated schools undermine all efforts to lift student achievement for all children. Any plan we adopt must be clear in avoiding re-segregation, whether accidental, incidental or intentional.  We are not questioning anyone’s intent but insisting that we pursue a research-based commitment the best schools for all children. We encourage the school board to proceed in implementing a new student assignment plan only once they have the data and a clear program to ensure they are making the very best decision. We believe thoughtful people who put all our children first and who want high-quality, constitutional, well-funded, diverse education for every child — as opposed to those driven by ideological agendas and partisan politics — can always find common ground. Our commitments are grounded in the best interests of all our children, the strongest scholarly research, the lessons of history, and a clear understanding of the state and federal constitutions.   From the outset, the NAACP has noted eight fundamental principles that should guide a sincere commitment to strong public schools:     1. Stop the trend toward re-segregation and promote school and classroom diversity. 2. Provide equity in funding for all schools. 3. Provide high-quality teachers and smaller classes. 4. Provide strong leadership and high-quality teams. 5. Provide first-rate facilities. 6. Focus on math, science, reading and history. 7. Support parental and community involvement. 8. Address unjust and disproportionate suspensions, reduce dropout rate and increase graduation rates among African-American, Latino/Hispanic and low-income students. All educational decisions must be guided by sound educational research, which continually proves that diversity and resources are key components to student achievement; by the standards of constitutional law, which guarantee every child equal access to a sound, basic education; and by our history, which reminds us we must go forward and not backwards. In the spirit of truth and justice, Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, NC NAACP President Dr. Timothy Tyson, NC NAACP Education Chair ### Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.         See related: Wake County Public Schools

Democrats propose changes to Wake student assignment plan – News & Observer

CARY — The new Democratic majority on the Wake County school board pushed today for changes today in the new student assignment plan as Republican board members and Superintendent Tony Tata warned about the disruptions that could come from the revisions.No formal decisions were made today but Democratic members asked staff to study changes such as making student achievement a higher priority than proximity when parents rank which schools they want to attend. (More)

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Wake County Public Schools

Wake schools didn’t keep busing for diversity records – Source: WRAL

Raleigh, N.C. — School district leaders in Wake County are turning over hundreds of documents to federal investigators in response to a charge that a controversial new student assignment policy will create unequal, high-poverty schools, but some requested data was missing. (Read more)

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Wake County Public Schools

Tata announces creation of new Wake student assignment task force – Source: News & Observer

RALEIGH — Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata announced today the members of a task force he’s forming that will begin working on a new student assignment plan. (Read more)

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Wake County Public Schools

Tata: Wake school board should get assignment plan this spring – Source: News & Observer

RALEIGH — Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata said today he plans to present a long-term student assignment plan to the school board for approval by late spring.

School board members voted today to authorize Tata to develop a long-term plan, including looking at the controlled-choice model presented Friday by business and community leaders. Tata, who had asked for the authority, said staff will work to develop a plan that will serve Wake for the next decade. (Read more)

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Wake County Public Schools